What I saw today

All you readers who know and love Tiffany, Sybil, Doug, and Jess- I wish I could send you some of the memories I have of today that I will hold onto for a long time.

I saw Tiffany and Doug talking to two ladies at a Buddhist temple- they were there to pray and get brownie points with karma or whatever bogus thing Buddhism offers, and they got to have a long conversation with Doug and Tiffany about Jesus, and they got to be prayed for and cared about by Jesus' followers, and they heard some great things about the only real God.

I saw Sybil telling the gospel to three ladies sitting outside a massage parlor (perhaps a non shady one). She was helped by Madiwan, one of our Thai leaders, and she had this great big smile when she talked about Jesus that just had to be attractive to these ladies. Who wouldn't want to know a God so good that his followers talk about him like this?

At different times when we were in the middle of some of the most crass exploitation of people and some of the most degrading examples of what people can do with themselves and each other, I saw Jess, Sybil, Doug, and Tiffany (and our Thai and GA friends) laughing or smiling and in those mental snapshots I see the joy of their relationship with God shining more brightly than the darkness around us.

Our God is so good and I hope and pray he will multiply the work we have done here. The Thai Christians are meeting a lot of people when they are out with us, and we see a lot of people reading the booklets we are handing out. It is good.

By the way, the whole Thai beach resort town idea that we had in coming here was way overrated. We see a few truly lovely sights, but we see a ton of crowded streets, trashy bars, and the backs of the pickup trucks we ride around in (SongTow taxi= covered pickup with two hard benches in back). I've breathed in so much exhaust my tongue is grey. Bleachh! And the noise! Oy! Getting back to school next week will be quite restful compared to this.

On a lighter note- last night I met the world's most aggressive tailor. He tried to sell me a suit with more intensity than I have ever encountered. Ever. Anywhere. Like an Amway guy on steroids after an assertiveness training seminar. One hand shaking mine refusing to let go, one hand on my arm pushing me toward his shop. I thought- If we could get this guy to accept Jesus and make him an evangelist- this town would be Christian in a week! Alas, all he wants is to sell me a suit. And he wants that like a drowning man wants dry land, like a starving mouse wants cheese, or like a Bama fan wants a win against Auburn. crazy.